After the depressing news about the van and the fact it was going to take 7 days to fix we decided to hitch a lift with the rest of our convoy (Michelle and Troy) to a lakeside holiday resort in Bahir Dar, on Lake Tana Its selling point is that the lake is full of Hippos and there are loads of islands most of which house a Coptic Monastery. We took the statutory tourist boat to visit the sights and although the monasteries were pretty drab (I don’t know what we were expecting from Monasteries), weaving through the Hippo’s was a bit unnerving since after the mosquito hippos kill most people in Africa. In addition there were very few monks around as this day was the feast of St Mary. Our resident researcher in England Mrs Jacky Fray sent us a gratifying E Mail to advise that on the feast of St Mary the Ark of the Covenant is removed from Axum and paraded around the streets of Gondar. Just our luck that we had left Gondar the day before, but our van is still there so if the parade went past our mechanics garage maybe a bit of luck could have rubbed off. Just when we thought our ears may be recovering from the bashing they got in Muslim countries as the early morning call to prayer exceeds the decibels of Concorde taking off, we find that the Coptic Christians also have a call to prayer of sorts, although this is much less melodious than the Muslim equivalent and begins about 3am and goes on until 9am, and is just as loud. Janet is enthralled with the bird life in Bahir Dar. For us this is its main attraction, as we breakfast with Hornbills, Parrots, Bee Catchers, and Fish Eagles, and the colour and noise can keep your interest throughout the day even though often we have to guess what we are looking at. Ethiopian food is at last taking its toll on our digestive system. Many of the party are suffering slightly but my more delicate organs are giving up the ghost with the onslaught of green bread and Berber spices. The Blue Nile Falls provided an excellent day out and even though the falls are only at 25% of their usual flow because of Hydro Electric Dams, it was still hugely impressive and the 1 mile walk to the falls took us through villages, cattle herds, and loads of goats felt like enacting a scene from King Solomon’s Mines. It is really difficult to describe the pleasure of meeting your arche-typal Ethiopian herdsmen carrying their archetypal sticks, just as they have done for hundreds of years.Also walking ensures you really do meet the villagers most of whom view us with total curiosity. Once the kids have overcome their initial shyness Janet usually has them eating out of her hand with her version of “Round and Round the garden…like a Teddy Bear” or “This little piggy went to market”. Once the adults see the kids having a good time they too approach us laughing and smiling. Its days like this that make up for the times you are cheated by thieving car mechanics, and on the subject of thieving car mechanics they seem attracted to us like moths to a flame. The best mechanic in Gonder has turned out to be the best cheat in Gonder, and we face a pretty hostile time tomorrow as we await his final bill. He has cheated so many overlanders (so we have now heard) and a Dutch couple we have just met have been charged a ridiculous amount to fix their clutch and are bringing in the Tourist Police (who I am sure will evaluate the situation carefully before finding in favour of the Ethiopian Mechanic. So tomorrow is a big day for us but again for every thief there are angels of goodness, and we have also met a young Dutch couple who are financing and running a project in a small Ethiopian Village, helping them to build a self sustaining economic environment. These are the type of people who really need help, and if anyone wants to help with a project which guarantees that 100% of the donation will go to the locals then we can supply details. They are fully registered and really dedicated to helping people, and they are terrific people to boot. | 